Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is notoriously private about his strategy leading into drafts, so it’s unlikely that we’ll know exactly what the team decides to do until the night of the draft itself. That possibility is made especially true due to the uncertainty at the number-one slot. The Montreal Canadiens, who not only host the draft but also hold the number-one pick, could possibly pass on Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright in favor of Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky, whose momentum has been building in recent weeks. If the Canadiens end up doing just that, it brings up an extremely intriguing trade possibility with the Blue Jackets and Devils. The Devils are already set at center — having two number-one picks in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes on the roster will do that — and there are few teams that could match the Jackets’ offer should Kekalainen dangle both of his first-rounders. While we’re obviously a ways away from any sort of wildly entertaining scenario such as that one from actually taking place, it seems like there are definitely the pieces in place to make this year’s draft one of the more memorable in recent history, especially thanks to the mystery surrounding the Blue Jackets and their two top picks.

Now, for some other notes regarding the league’s Eastern Conference teams:

• While Columbus holding the sixth and twelfth picks at the 2022 draft is certainly an enviable situation for many teams, few clubs have been able to replicate the sort of high-end draft capital the Ottawa Senators were able to amass in 2020. The team held two top-five picks, and with their second they selected American defenseman Jake Sanderson. Sanderson’s debut has been highly anticipated since he signed from the University of North Dakota, but injuries kept him from getting into NHL games this past season. Per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, by the time the season starts in the fall, those injury woes will be behind Sanderson and he’ll be ready to be a full contributor with the Senators, assuming he makes the team out of training camp as he’s widely expected to. Sanderson is a dynamic defenseman who has the potential to transform the makeup of the Senators’ blueline corps. His full recovery coming in time for the start of next season is not only a win for the Senators, it’s a win for hockey fans in general.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins were a single goal in Game Seven away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2018, but ultimately their injuries and inability to finish off the New York Rangers doomed their season. That has left the team with an offseason of major uncertainty, and that uncertainty may not involve just their two big-name franchise pillars that are out of a contract. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Fenway Sports Group, the new Penguins owners, “may not be so enamored with Brian Burke keeping his post as president of hockey ops after a second straight first-round flameout.” Burke was hired in tandem with GM Ron Hextall last February, and under their stewardship, the Penguins have had a points percentage above .600, albeit with two first-round losses as Brooks mentions. Burke is a highly experienced hockey executive who is widely respected across the league, and the Penguins parting with him so early in his tenure would certainly be a surprise. While a summer front office shakeup is not something many had on their radar for the Penguins, especially given the high-stakes negotiations the team is currently engaged in, it now looks like it’s a possibility that cannot be ruled out.

Club president Mike Priest released a statement:

John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen worked tirelessly and effectively together to transform our hockey club from a team with one Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance in 12 seasons to one that reached the postseason five times in seven years from 2013-20. This is an important time for our organization and having stability and proven leadership at the top of our hockey operations department is critical for us to do what we want to do, which is bring a Stanley Cup championship to Columbus. Signing Jarmo to an extension and then bringing J.D. back gives us the right people to address the opportunities and challenges before us and we couldn’t be more excited.

Almost exactly two years ago, Davidson resigned his post with the Blue Jackets to chase his dream job with the Rangers. At the time, he explained that a chance to return to New York, where he had spent so much of his playing and broadcasting career was one he “simply could not pass up.” After two relatively successful seasons helping to rebuild the team, he was fired along with general manager Jeff Gorton and head coach David Quinn. At the time of the dismissal, many in the hockey world expressed the notion that Davidson would not go unemployed for long.

So, just two weeks later, Davidson is in charge of an NHL franchise again, returning to Columbus where he spent seven years between 2012-2019. The Blue Jackets are in a period of transition after parting ways with John Tortorella and finishing in last place. Davidson and Kekalainen have a lot of work to do to right the ship, including a few difficult decisions on roster construction. Seth Jones, the team’s best player, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after next season and will need a huge contract to stick around. Max Domi, Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Boone Jenner, and others are also ticketed for UFA status next summer, meaning the next 12 months could see a drastic reshaping of the Blue Jackets roster.

Elsewhere in the Central:

• Earlier this month, Red Wings winger Mathias Brome told Svenskafans’ Andreas Lundskog that he was open to returning overseas but wasn’t going to limit himself to going back to his native Sweden. It appears he’s zeroing in on the Swiss NLA as Aftonbladet’s Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson report that Brome is expected to join Davos.  It was a disappointing first season in North America for the 26-year-old who managed just a goal and an assist in 26 games with Detroit this season despite logging a respectable 13:39 per night.  Brome is set to become a restricted free agent this summer but as he’s a year away from UFA eligibility based on his age, there’s a good chance he’ll be non-tendered if a deal overseas is finalized.
• Despite missing two of the last three games due to an upper-body injury, Florida center Sam Bennett is available for the series opener against Tampa Bay, notes Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ team site. The 24-year-old made an immediate impact after being acquired from Calgary at the trade deadline, picking up six goals and nine assists in just ten games, beating his output with the Flames despite playing in 28 games more with Calgary.  Meanwhile, Olive also relayed (Twitter link) that winger Patric Hornqvist is ready to return after missing the final seven games of the regular season with an upper-body injury of his own.

The NWHL is committed to its vision of providing opportunities for elite women’s hockey players to earn a living playing the game they love. This increased investment by ownership, especially following a challenging and shortened season, is a significant step forward and exemplifies the strength of our league and our developing business model as we continue to advance professional women’s hockey and inspire the next generation of female athletes.

The league is coming off a successful conclusion to its shortened 2020-21 campaign, which dealt with continual delays and cancellations that threatened to keep the Isobel Cup off the ice. In late March, the playoffs were broadcast on NBCSN for the first time, with hundreds of thousands watching the Boston Pride take home the championship. Just a few days ago, it was announced that the 2021 NWHL Draft will be held virtually on June 29, broadcast live on Twitch, the league’s streaming partner.

• Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has a tall order of building his NHL team back to relevance, but some of his time will also be spent representing his country. The veteran executive has been named assistant general manager of Team Finland for next year’s Winter Olympics, helping former NHL forward and Finland GM Jere Lehtinen in the selection of players. Of course, there are a few names on the Columbus roster currently that could be considered for the team, most notably sniper Patrik Laine. The 23-year-old Laine has had the worst season of his career so far this year, scoring just 12 goals and 21 points in 42 games, 18 of which came with the Blue Jackets after an early-season trade. Newcomer Mikko Lehtonen could be in the running after dominating in the KHL, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo could make it depending on what happens with aging netminders like Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask.
• The Chicago Blackhawks have not yet announced a recovery timeline, but don’t expect to see Adam Boqvist back on the ice this season. Head coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters including those at The Athletic that the young defenseman suffered a broken wrist in last night’s game. It is unclear yet how long he’ll be out, but Colliton explained this morning that he does not believe Boqvist will need surgery.

Well, five months have already passed with the six-month mark coming up shortly and there has been little word on Nyquist. That is, until today. Blue Jackets beat writer Jeff Svoboda relays word from head coach John Tortorella that Nyquist will not return to the Columbus lineup this season. Tortorella did not expand on this statement, leaving it ambiguous as to whether there has been a setback in his recovery that is truly preventing his return or whether the club has decided that there is no use bringing him back given their status this season. As for the latter, the Blue Jackets were toying with playoff contention for a short period of time, but have cooled off immensely in recent weeks. In fact, their 2-7-1 record in their past ten games is the second-worst mark in the league in that span. These struggles, pushing Columbus to seventh in the Central Division and ten points back of a playoff spot, coupled with the deadline departures of key contributors Nick Foligno and David Savard, have made a postseason push close to impossible and likely made it an easier decision for the team to shut Nyquist down.

The Blue Jackets certainly could have used Nyquist this season though. The play-making winger logged major minutes for Columbus last season and contributed to both special teams units. Due in no small part to Nyquist’s absence, the team has failed to improve in scoring this season, both even strength and on the power play, and have taken a step back on the penalty kill. And while team defense may seem to rely on the blue line and goaltending more than the forwards, missing Nyquist’s stable two-way presence for 18+ minutes per night has contributed to some degree in the Blue Jacket’s massive slide from the league’s third-best goal against average last season to 26th this year.

With all that said, Nyquist’s inability to return this season does raise some questions about his security this off-season. If the team is simply being cautious by not activating him this season, that would seem to imply that they have his future interests in mind and see him continuing to play a part with their club. However, if the soon-to-be 32-year-old has instead been recovering slowly and is still physically unable to return, that is a whole other issue. Facing financial pressure and facing an impending cap crunch, with Patrik Laine in need of a new deal this summer and Seth Jones and Zach Werenski in the same boat the next summer, a $5.5MM cap hit for an aging player who has not seen action in a year may not be appealing to the Blue Jackets. If they are unsure that Nyquist can return to being a dependable top-six forward in the final two years of his contract, they could opt to expose him in the Expansion Draft or trade him away, letting another team take that chance. Even if just for peace of mind heading into the off-season, it would have been nice for Columbus to see Nyquist return before the end of the season. Instead, they will have to prepare for an important off-season with an expensive question mark on the roster.

This isn’t the first time Dunne’s name has been thrown around by NHL teams. As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports, the young forward was highly sought after last spring after an outstanding sophomore campaign that saw him win the ECAC Best Defensive Forward award. The 6’4″ center may not project to be a top-line player at the next level, but a commitment to both ends of the rink and good hands around the net are a mix that scouts love in undrafted free agents.

If Dunne is looking for guidance on his transition, he needs to look no further than the Blue Jackets front office. GM Jarmo Kekalainen also played at Clarkson as an undrafted forward before signing with the Boston Bruins in 1989. While things have changed a bit since then, even Kekalainen’s modest 55-game NHL career would be a win for Dunne.

Now that he’s in Columbus after a blockbuster deal saw the Jets’ sniper head south in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois (with Jack Roslovic tagging along), Laine is facing the challenge of building a new relationship with a new organization.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic today that he had already spoken with Laine about a potential extension and establishing a “long-term relationship,” though more serious negotiations are still to come. When Laine was asked if he’d be open to that, he told reporters including Alison Lukan of The Athletic that he would certainly be open to it and had heard only positive things about the city and organization. “Hopefully that’s a spot where I’m enjoying life and enjoying playing hockey,” said the always thoughtful Laine, while head coach John Tortorella explained that he already had a “really good conversation” with the sniper.

What exactly would a long-term extension for Laine look like? That part is entirely unclear at this point. Unlike his fellow 2016 draftee Auston Matthews, who signed a five-year deal in Toronto before his entry-level deal was even up, Laine is playing on a two-year bridge contract that carries a cap hit of $6.75MM and expires after this season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration, giving him a little leverage in negotiations and has been one of the most impressive goal scorers in the league through his first few seasons.

In fact, since he entered the league in 2016-17, only eight players have scored more than Laine’s 140 goals and five of those have played more games during that period. They all have averaged quite a bit more ice time than Laine’s career 17:40 mark, which points to a lack of polish in other areas but only makes his goal totals more impressive.

Because of those numbers, Laine will enter this negotiation without many direct comparables in the league. The Blue Jackets have plenty of cap space to work with, but they’ve also had a problem in the past actually retaining talent. If Kekalainen truly wants to retain Laine long-term and build a relationship with the star forward, he’ll have to be willing to hand out the biggest contract of his tenure in Columbus. That record is currently held by Cam Atkinson, who signed a seven-year, $41,125,000 contract in 2017. Atkinson’s $5.875MM cap hit comes in well below what Laine is already making and should be shattered by any new deal.

Dubois and the Blue Jackets have bigger fish to fry at the moment as they try to shock every preseason prognosticator by making the playoffs. The team has overcome a ton this season to remain in the Metropolitan Division race and Dubois’ development into a true star has been one of the biggest reasons why. Still just 21, the third-overall pick from 2016 has 17 goals and 42 points in 53 games this season and looks every part the franchise centerman that Jarmo Kekalainen saw in the draft. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, coming off his entry-level deal.

• Though most of the talk coming out of the Winnipeg Jets’ dressing room today revolved around Dustin Byfuglien and his impending departure from the organization, the team also announced some pertinent injury news. Nathan Beaulieu has been activated from injured reserve, while Mathieu Perreault takes his place. Perreault is expected to be out for at least two weeks after being hit by Karson Kuhlman last week.
• While Kevin Kurz of The Athletic writes today (subscription required) that San Jose Sharks defenseman Brendan Dillon “will almost certainly” be dealt before the trade deadline later this month, it is the more veteran subjects of his latest article that will raise some eyebrows. Kurz examines potential landing spots for franchise icons Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, if either of the two decide they want to get another shot at the Stanley Cup this spring. That’s not going to happen in San Jose, with the Sharks compiling a 22-27-4 record through their first 53 games and sitting 13th in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, Dubois’ early entrance to the NHL means that he is also on the final year of his entry-level contract and is scheduled for restricted free agency next summer. With other teams starting to lock up their young players in order to avoid the long negotiations that we saw this year, Dubois is an interesting player to keep an eye on. Pierre LeBrun explained on the latest Insider Trading for TSN that Dubois’ camp is open to talking soon with the Blue Jackets about a possible extension:

So much pressure on Columbus after those offseason defections to get this core, franchise center signed. I’m told that agent Pat Brisson is receptive to the idea of sitting down at some point in the fall and get the process started. I think the Jackets are going to come early with a big number.

Selected third overall in 2016, Dubois made headlines right away after Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen took him ahead of the expected choice, Jesse Puljujarvi. The 6’3″ center scored just 55 points in a disjointed QMJHL season the year after his draft, but proved he was more than ready to step into the NHL right away the following season. Finding his footing as a rookie (alongside Panarin), Dubois recorded 20 goals and 48 points and was one of the team’s best players in a short playoff appearance. He came back even stronger in 2018-19 and is now arguably the team’s most important forward.

Getting an extension done before his third season may end up being the right move for the Blue Jackets, especially if he shows that he can carry the load for the team without some of the departed talents. The first two picks from his draft, Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, signed polar opposite contracts out of their entry-level deals, making it hard to know exactly where Dubois will fit in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

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*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Werenski, 22, was the eighth overall selection in 2015 out of the University of Michigan and after returning for his sophomore season in the NCAA became an immediate success in the NHL. Recording 47 points as a rookie in 2016-17 he finished behind only Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in Calder Trophy voting and even earned himself a handful of Norris Trophy votes. In the two years following he has only increased his role on the team, averaging close to 23 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets in 2018-19.

Unlike Charlie McAvoy who is another restricted free agent defenseman waiting on a contract, Werenski has completed three full seasons in the NHL and is eligible for an offer sheet. That is obviously very unlikely at this point, but it puts his negotiation in a slightly different category. Werenski is four years away from unrestricted free agency meaning any contract longer than that will push the average annual value substantially higher. Portzline reports the two sides have discussed several different scenarios including three and five-year deals.

The Blue Jackets may look very different next season without Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in the lineup, but still aren’t a team to completely give up on in the Metropolitan Division. That’s in large part due to the stud duo of Werenski and Seth Jones on defense, who are both still young enough to experience even further development.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

9:39pm: For most of the last year, all signs pointed to Artemi Panarin leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets for another team on July 1 as the top free agent available. The Florida Panthers had been rumored for months to be interested in acquiring his services, and then earlier today a report surfaced that he might be heading to the New York Islanders instead. Now in a late-night push the Blue Jackets have put their best offer on the table, one that Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) reports is believed to be for eight years at an average annual value of $12MM. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has heard the same, though Portzline suggests it could be even higher than that.

Panarin was the consensus top choice in our Top 50 UFAs this season, and is a superstar talent that can create offense all on his own. The most interesting part of the offer is that the Blue Jackets can only technically offer an eighth year until midnight (EST), after which they would be in the same position as any other team only able to offer seven seasons. With reports surfacing that the Blue Jackets’ other top free agents, Matt Duchene and Sergei Bobrovsky will be leaving town, it is obvious that GM Jarmo Kekalainen wanted to take one more crack at keeping one of his stars.

Currently the highest paid player in the league is Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid who signed an eight-year, $100MM deal quickly after becoming eligible for an extension. Panarin though would easily become the highest paid winger in the league with a deal like this, and shatter the market set by players like Mark Stone and Nikita Kucherov in recent years. Patrick Kane, who signed his current deal back in 2014, currently carries a $10.5MM cap hit while Alex Ovechkin is more than a decade into his 13-year contract which carries a cap hit of $9.54MM.

The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger adds that the deal carries a $750K value, which is just $15K more than his $735K qualifying offer. As such, Hannikainen made things easy on the Blue Jackets by simply accepting close to the minimum deal that they could offer him. Hannikainen could have filed for arbitration this off-season, but the Finnish forward is still looking to truly make his mark in the NHL and was likely willing to accept a low salary in exchange for more responsibility on a Columbus team that will be looking to fill out their forward corps following several expected key departures.

Hannikainen originally signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent in 2015, continuing a Scandinavian pipeline to Columbus under GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Hannikainen has played in at least four NHL games in each of his four season in North America, setting a new career high this past year with 44 games played. It was also the first season that he did not suit up for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, as he proved early on in his Blue Jackets tenure that he had outgrown the minor league level. Hannikainen will look to take another step forward next season, hopefully improving his production from just seven points this year. An increase in points will mean an increase in appearances and ice time and an increase in bargaining power when his contract ends next summer.

Our club has made great strides in recent seasons thanks in part to the experienced and talented group of individuals within our hockey operations department. We believe it was important to recognize contributions and maintain consistency within our group in order for us to continue to improve and work towards our goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

Nash, 34, is a legendary franchise icon from his playing days with the Blue Jackets. Selected first overall in 2002, it didn’t take him long to become a superstar in the NHL. During his sophomore season, Nash would record his first 40+ goal season and take home the Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s top goal scorer. He would go on to score 298 total regular season goals for the Blue Jackets over his 674 games with the franchise, before eventually ending up with the New York Rangers. A trade deadline deal sent him to Boston in 2018, but after suffering another concussion he was forced to retire.

According to the release, Nash will help in several areas including player evaluations, prospect development and player recruitment. Kekalainen spoke highly of his new assistant:

Rick is the most decorated player in Blue Jackets history and was one of the game’s most respected players during a career that included multiple All-Star Games, Olympic and World Championship gold medals and a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He cares deeply about the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus and will be a great addition to our organization.

Player recruitment is certainly something the organization will need after they watch three of their best players leave this offseason in free agency. Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene are all expected to test the market this summer, leaving room for the Blue Jackets to make other additions to their group.

It is difficult to overstate how important Davidson has been to the Blue Jackets organization over the last seven years. After leaving the St. Louis Blues, Davidson came to a franchise that was floundering on and off the ice, never finding much success since entering the league in 2000. The team had made the playoffs just a single time, and were routinely seeing changes in the coaching staff and management group. Roster turnover is inevitable but the Blue Jackets hadn’t been able to build any sort of consistency in their group and had recently traded their captain and face of the franchise, Rick Nash to the Rangers.

One of the first big changes Davidson enacted was firing general manager Scott Howson a few months after taking control of the team. He replaced Howsen with Kekalainen who he knew from his days in St. Louis, a move that is still paying off despite the gamble of this season. The Blue Jackets have grown into one of the most consistent organizations in the NHL, recording at least 89 points in five of the last six seasons and making the playoffs on four of those occasions. This year saw the team win the first playoff round in franchise history, when they shocked the hockey world by sweeping the Presidents Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning.

New York though was always a dream for Davidson. Blue Jackets owner John P. McConnell said as much in his statement today:

When we hired John Davidson in October 2012, I said I thought he was the perfect person to lead our hockey operations efforts. Nearly seven years later, I believe I was right. He joined our team at a very difficult time and led a transformation that has resulted in consistent winning and appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. J.D. is a man of great character and compassion and I completely understand his interest in the unique opportunity before him. I know leaving Columbus is a difficult decision for him as he has a genuine love of our community and organization, but the possibility of returning to his roots in New York, where he spent three decades as a player and broadcaster, is an extraordinary circumstance for him and his family.

Davidson was originally drafted fifth overall by the Blues in 1973, but would end up playing most of his career with the Rangers before retirement took him into the broadcasting ring. A generation of fans in New York grew up with “J.D.” as the color commentator for Rangers’ games, making this quite a homecoming for the respected executive. In the Rangers’ release, Davidson explained his excitement:

I am excited and humbled to be named the President of the New York Rangers. The opportunity of rejoining the Rangers organization and returning home to New York, where my family and I have spent so many wonderful years, was one I simply could not pass up. I want to thank James Dolan for offering me this chance to come home.